Apparatus for handling fluid fuel.



R. S. MITdhELL. APPARATUS PoR HANDLING FLUID PULL. APPLIGATION FILEDJULY 30, 1908.

UNITED STAMENTOFFIQE.

RICHARDS. MITCHELL, OF MORGANTQWN, INDIANA.

Y. APPARATUS FOR HANDLING FLUIDI FUEL.

Application led July 30, 1908. Serial No. 448,069.

9 au whom 'tt may concern:

lie it known that I, Riemann S. MrrCHnLL, citizen of the United States,residing at lorgantown, in the county of Morgan an'd tate of Indiana,have invented certain new .1d useful Improvements in Apparatus forlandling Fluid Fuel, of which the followlg is a specification. Y

T he object of my present invention is to. rovide an apparatus wherebyfluid fuel, specially gasolene, can be supplied for con- .unption in asafe, economical and easily egulated manner.

l have illustrated this appamtusas aranged to supply gasolene to anordinary asolen cooking stove; but it may obviusly be also utilized insupplying the fluid nel to gasolene engines, or to any other sort fburners, or for any other purpose which nay be desired. y l

Referring to the accompanying drawings, figure l is an elevation of agasolene stove n position for use with my improved fluid uel supplyingapparatus arranged in suit- Lble relation thereto and connectedtherewith; Fig. V2 a detail sectional view, on a '.onsiderably enlargedscale, of the tank con- .aining the fluid fuel and the pipes ilnme-`liately connected therewith-the float for ,ndicating the condition ofthe contents of .whe tank being also shown, and F ig. 3 a derailvertical sectional view of those portions af the pipes or tubes andimmediately adjacent parts which are arranged in proximity to the pointof consumption.

In the illustration given an ordinary gaso lene stove 21 is connected,by means of a e 22 having branches 23 and 24, with the luid fuel supply,which replaces the tank commonly used to contain such fluid fuel. Theupper portion of the supply apparatus consists of a tube. 3l having abranch 32 to which the pipe 22 is immediately connected. `Within themember 3l is a float 33 from `which a small rod 34 extends up throughcap 3.5 of art 31. From the lower end of part 31 a py ain tube 3Gleadsto the upper end of the main fluid fuel vsupply tank, lor to a tubeextending upwardly therefrom. This fluid fuel Vsupply tank 41 is shownas cylindrical' in form, with ends of conical shape. From the uppercone-shaped tank-end a (pube 42 extends; and, in the construction sh Wn,the supplyfpe 36 branches off from this tube a short ist-ance above thepoint Where it joins the tank. Another pipe 43 also leads Specificationof Letters Patent.

Patented. (let. i2, 1909i.

from said tank, preferablyv its lower end,

and returns upwardly to a point alongside the lower portion of pipeortube For purposes of protection and rigid and durable construct-ionthis pipe 43 is shown as passing through one side of tank 41; but,obviously, it might. (without'in any way affecting its` functions) passup outside of and free from said tank. Near its upper ond a branch pipe44 leads up to the vicinity of the point of use, near the part 3l. rlheup pei` part 45 of this pipe 44 `should be of rubber hose (or some suchflexible material) for. pur oses which will presently be explained. Saipipe 44-45 terminates in a connection with a funnel 4G; and said funnel,as best shown in Fig. 3, is usually suspended to the wall of thebuilding, as by means of a loop 47 connected to said funnel and asuitable nail or pin 4S driven into the wall. Tater is' introduced intothis funnel for the purpose of displacing the fluid fuel in the tank 4land forcing the same up to the point of consumption.

Il am able to produce the proper results with this apparatus in thefollowing inanner: Fluid fuels (such as gasolene) and water, are ofdiiferentspecitic gravities, the fluid fuel being lighter than thewater. The two substances will not cominingle, therefore, when placed inthe same vessel. take advantage of this fact in the manipulation of thisapparatus. I will first describe the introduction or renewal of thesupply of fluid fuel into the tank 41:

'ith the parts in the condition shown in Fig. 2, the caps closing theupper ends of the pipes 42 and 43 being removed, and the pipe 42extending to a considerable dist-ance above the `upper end of pipe 43,the branch pipes 3G and 44-45 being either closed or leading to a stillhigher level, l am able, by pouring the fluid fuel into lthe upper endof pipe 42 to displace the water which may be'in the lower portion oft-he tank and cause the vsame to'flow out of the top of pipe 43. Thepipe 42 has a removable cap 42', and the pipe 43 a removable cap 43.These are kept closed while the apparatus is in use, but are removedwhen the supply of fluid fuel in the tankis to be renewed in the mannerabove described. Then the'cap 42' is removed I preferably att-ach afunnel in its place, as is indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 2.

In order to know the character of the tanks contents, and thus avoidWasting, the

lluid fuel, l provide a float 5l of such character and construction thatit will float on water and will sink through the liuid fuel. When theupper end of ltube l2 is opened,

therefore, the rod o2. which extends up froin float 5l will project outfrein the top of tube p 42 a distance equal to the depth of the water inthe lower portion of the tank ell. When t tube it indicates that thetank has been fully i supplied with the liquid fuel. When this is f donethe caps should be screwed on tightly onto both the tubes -lZ and e3,and there reinaiii until a new supply of -luel is iiecesi sary. ln theconsumption of the liuid l also 1 take advantage of this sainedill'crence in the specific gravities of the two substances.

'l` he branch 32 through which the fluid fuel liows to the point ofconsumption is Sulliciently higher than the funnel -lti to substantiallybalance this difference; and, in

stop; and, iiivthe case of a stove (as illustrated) the lii'e niust goout. This is a inatter ol' considerable consequence, asin case ofcarelessly leaving the lire unattended it will become extinguished in ashort tinie.

'lhe lioat 33 enables ine to position "the funnel -lo in exactly theproper relation to the discharge branch 32 when setting up theapparatus. I move said funnel until the. fuel will just. flow into saidbranch. This causes the tloat 2323 to raise; and, when at this .xactpoint, l bend the small rod or wii'e 34, and this point is thusdelinitely ascertained and preserved to indicate the correct position ofthe ioat in future adjustments.

llaving thus fully described my said iiivention, what l claim as new,and desire to secure by Letters Patent, iszl. 'The'combination, in anal'iparatus for handling liquid fuel, of a tank, a fuel pipe connected,to the upper end of said tank, a water pipe also connected with saidtank, die upper ends of said pipes being at diflferent levels wherebythe liquid fuel is eli-- abled to displace the water when introducen andcause said water to flow up to the upper end ot its said pipe, means fortightly closing said pipes when the tank has been setting up thisapparatus, l adjust this dif- 1 ference to exactly the amount necessaryto attain the proper pressure to secure the desired flow 0f fuel. lninstalling the appai'atus the iexible portion 45 ofthe pipe lla-l5beconics of service. ln supplying the fuel for. consumption l inake useof a vessel (5l. r[his vessel is shown as (and is preferred to be) 'atransparent vessel, as a bottle of suitable capacity, it being thus`easy to obsei've the condition ofits contents. 'lhis vessel (il has aninternally positioned stopper G2' from which project small rods Gil, l

which extend out somewhat beyond the end lhen l desire to i of the neckof said Vessel.

utilize this apparatus I first till this bottle ,i

l and a vessel arranged at a lower level than 'with water; and by meansof the small rods (53, draw the cork into the neck, thus teini porarilystopping the exit opening. I then i place said vessel in an invertedposition (as shown in the drawings) with its neck in the funnel 46 inposition to discharge into the i The liser can observe the i ainount offuel being consumed by noticing the extent to which the water leaves thebottle. completely discharged, theliow of fuel will TWhen the water inthe bottle has been' charged with fuel, connections leading from saidpipes to the point of use, and means whereby the liquid fuel isgradually displaced and caused to tiow to said point of use.

2. The combination, ,in an apparatus for handling liquid fuel, of atank, a liquid fuel supply therefor, a water supply therefor, a lloattherein which will float on the water and sink in the fuel, and a rodextending. from said 'loat'up through the fuel supply tube ainlarrangedto indicate the character of the contents of the tank.

:3, 'l`he combination, in an apparatus for handling liquid fuel, of asupply tank, av

pipe leading from the upper end thereof lo the point of use', a secondpipe leiding from near the point of use back to the tank,

the point to which the liquid fuel iscarried for supplying water to saidlast named pipe "and thus gradually displacing the liquid -l'uel andcausing the saine to liow to the point of use.

The combination, in an apparatus for handling liquid fuel, of a tank forcontaining the fuel supply located outside the building which containsthe fuel consuming-device and buried in the ground, a pipe. leading;`from the upper end thereof to above the ground, another pipe leadingfrom the lower end"thei'eof to above the ground but to a less heightthan the first mentioned pipe, branch pipes'leading therefrom to thepoint ol' use, a branch from that pipe which extends further from theground leading to a point higher than the branch which leads esagero.ing from the upper euml lheleoi lo above the ground, another pipelezuliugi from the lower end lliereo to above the ground hut lo o lessheight thun the lrs-n'ientioned pipe, said pipes each having u removablecap, and each having a branch leadiiu;` lo near the point of use, thearrangement heing such that when said caps are removed and l'he fluidfuel is introduced through lhe fuller pipo the water vhie i hasineviously heen iurodueefl will flou' oui through lhe shorler pipe.

The combination, in an apparatus for handling liquid fuel, of a tankcontaining the fuel supply located outside die building which containsthe fuel Consuming device und buried in the ground, a pipe leading.'l'roin the upper end thereof to above the ground, another p1pe leadingYlroin the lower end thereof lo above the ground but` to u less 'loanehe first-menden u L having a r umani,

"in 2h lending f Whioh' h low out eontuinin rod which und z 's'. rflue,eo

ling liquid fuel, o" fuel pipe le iro' from ih ea fo the poi s* use. und:i n ing "'i'rozn said luuk lo ne hub leruiinating al: a low dischargepoint of the f i ence in the elevation olf ing' suieieu lo compensatefor llie difference in the speeifie gravilies of "he fuel und the waiel.

In witness whereof, l have hereunlo sel' s up il; n infheato.

my hand and seul :il: indi:umpolis7 indiana,

this twentysevenlli day of [5u ix no. D. one

thousand nine hundred und eight Meulen si infie-HELL. lfb. s]

lllitnesses CHESTER niioFonn, A.. C. Bion.

'ein

